Plans to develop piece of land in West Chiltington submitted to Horsham District Council for fourth time

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Plans to develop a piece of land in West Chiltington have been submitted to Horsham District Council for a fourth time.

The application from Castle Properties, for 14 homes on land west of Smock Alley and south of Little Haglands, is identical to one refused by the council in April.

Applications to develop the site have been refused three times by the council, with that refusal backed up twice by the Planning Inspectorate when appealed.

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A third appeal was launched earlier this year and then withdrawn by Castle Properties.

Plans to develop land on Smock Alley, in West Chiltington, have been refused three times by Horsham District Council. Image: GoogleMapsPlans to develop land on Smock Alley, in West Chiltington, have been refused three times by Horsham District Council. Image: GoogleMaps
Plans to develop land on Smock Alley, in West Chiltington, have been refused three times by Horsham District Council. Image: GoogleMaps

Members of the Smock Alley & Haglands Lane Action Group said the decision to submit another application felt ‘vexatious’.

Spokesman Sharon Davis said: “The last application was unanimously refused by the district councillors on the grounds of harm to wildlife, coalescence of West Chiltington village’s two parts, and the site’s unsustainable location.

“Notably, these issues remain un-addressed in the current application.

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“This raises the question: can the outcome be predetermined by the district council on behalf of district councillors, even before the application reaches committee review?”

Officers had recommended the last application for approval but the planning committee disagreed unanimously.

Should the latest application be approved, the development would be made up of two one-bedroom, four two-bedroom, six three-bedroom, and two four-bedroom houses.

Five of them would be classed as affordable.

Access to the site would be via Smock Alley.

Ms Davis added: “Given the lack of new material considerations and disregard for previous grounds of refusal, we view this application as vexatious, imposing an unnecessary burden on both the council and our community.”

To view the application, log on to public-access.horsham.gov.uk and search for DC/24/1619.

The deadline for comments, objections or support is Thursday, November 14.

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